By Keith Idec
Terence Crawford didn’t sound overly optimistic about the possibility of eventually facing Manny Pacquiao during a live chat Monday night with fans and media.
“As far as Pacquiao,” Crawford said, “if that fight happens, it happens.”
A Pacquiao-Crawford fight likely would require Crawford to move up from 140 to 147 pounds, yet it easily could be made because Crawford and Pacquiao are promoted by Bob Arum’s Top Rank Inc. Pacquiao is expected to need at least six months off after May 6 shoulder surgery to repair a slight tear to his right rotator cuff, an injury sustained during his May 2 loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Crawford added later in the chat that he would not travel to the Philippines to fight Pacquiao (57-6-2, 38 KOs). That leaves open the possibility, however, of boxing Pacquiao in Macau, China, where Pacquiao has fought twice since November 2013.
Crawford (26-0, 18 KOs) is expected to return to the ring in the fall. The unbeaten Omaha, Nebraska, native last fought April 18, when stopped Puerto Rico’s Thomas Dulorme (22-2, 14 KOs) in the sixth round to win the then-vacant WBO junior welterweight title in Arlington, Texas.
The 27-year-old Crawford doesn’t know who he’ll fight next, but he is certain he’ll never square off against Timothy Bradley (32-1-1, 12 KOs, 1 NC), another welterweight Crawford considers a close friend.
“As far as Bradley, we’re not ever going to fight,” Crawford said during the chat, hosted by Toprank.com’s Crystina Poncher. “Because that’s like my brother.”
Keith Idec covers boxing for The Record and Herald News, of Woodland Park, N.J., and BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.